Win-Win: Cook Farm Research Helps Bottom Line and Sustains Environment
R. James Cook |
James Cook was honored in June, 2007 with the dedication of the R. James Cook Agronomy Farm. With the 140-acre farm, Washington State University is playing a major leadership role in an agricultural transformation as revolutionary as the conversion from horses to tractors. The changes involve nothing less than the “retooling” of the region’s agriculture. At the same time, the research serves both the needs of farmer’s to sustain themselves economically and the public’s need for more environmentally sustainable food production.
Jim Cook was one of the University's most honored research scientists. His work in plant pathology and biotechnology was recognized internationally. In 1993, he was named to the National Academy of Sciences, one the highest awards for an American scientist. That same year, he received the USDA Distinguished Service Award and was made an honorary member of the British Society for Plant Pathology. The American Phytopathological Society honored him in 1995 and again in 1997.
Scot Hulbert, the current Cook Endowed Chair; Samuel H. Smith, WSU president emeritus; Richard Smiley, Oregon State University plant pathologist; and Jim Cook pose for pictures after the Cook Farm dedication. |
Cook retired in 2005 after 40 years of service to WSU and the USDA Agricultural Research Service. He was interim dean of the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences from 2003 to 2005 and, from 1998 to 2003, he held the R. J. Cook Chair in Wheat Research.
In 1998, a Cook and a team of scientists and engineers at WSU took charge of the WSU-owned land 7 miles northeast of Pullman. The team’s the dual and on-going goals were to help farmers in the dryland Pacific Northwest make the transition to continuous direct-seeding (no-till farming) and to provide the scientific and technical foundation for use of global positioning systems (GPS) and other precision-agriculture technologies. The farm replicates real-world conditions so that the interdisciplinary research conducted there can be applied directly to commercial production.
Research at the farm emphasizes direct-seeding, also known as no-till farming, which involves placement of seed and fertilizer into soil.
The advantages of a direct-seed system include reduced soil erosion, reduced fuel consumption, reduced run off which, in turn, dramatically reduce the farm’s carbon foot print and keep chemicals out of the environment. Direct-seeding also leaves much of the post-harvest stubble on the field, improving soil quality and making the farm wildlife-friendly. Because direct-seeded soil better retains water and nutrients, the technique enables farmers to produce more--and more diverse--crops, thus improving the farm’s bottom line.
There are risks involved with direct seeding, which is why research on the Cook Farm is imperative. Direct-seeding can increase weed populations and expose plants to more root diseases. It can be difficult to plant in the heavy layer of straw left in the fields by the previous crop, especially on Palouse hillsides. No-till drills are expensive, creating a start-up barrier that discourages farmers from switching. While only about ten percent of eastern Washington farms employ direct-seeding, these farms are spread out across the dryland Pacific Northwest, indicating that direct-seeding can work in virtually all agronomic zones of the region.
The research, education, and demonstration programs underway on the Cook Farm are designed to increase the understanding and reduce the risks of direct-seeding systems.
Precision agriculture is sometimes called “farming by the foot,” since GPS technology allows farmers to seed with great precision and with attention to variables of landscape. Rather than fertilize an entire field evenly, for example, fertilizer application is dynamic and based on yield maps that display the productivity over time of any particular spot in a field. The result is a savings in both fertilizer and environmental costs.
Precision-ag technology is made to order for direct-seed systems. GPS referencing of each field allows researchers to map weeds, diseases, and soil variables as well as yields and grain protein and to develop site-specific disease-, weed- and soil-management strategies.
Leadership for this team-research is provided through a faculty position endowed by the Washington Wheat Commission in 1997, the R. James Cook Endowed Chair in Wheat Research. The Washington Wheat Commission also provided $120,000 in start-up funding, which underwrote the first three years’ research.
This sign will mark the entrance to the Cook Farm. |
The Cook Farm team must now generate all funds necessary for this vital research. The costs involved in an operation that simultaneously achieves excellence in both farming and science far exceed those typically involved with farming 140 acres.
Considering the difficult decisions faced by today’s farmers about whether to convert to direct-seeding and precision agriculture, the need for WSU’s on-farm research and leadership has never been greater. The Cook Farm is a prime example of the importance and effectiveness of public-private partnerships in meeting the needs of farmers and responding to public demand for safer, cleaner and more sustainable methods of food production.
Of related interest:
Cougar Flour Power Is Model of Sustainable Agriculture - The majority of wheat grown in eastern Washington is consumed far from the region’s rolling hills. But thanks to a growing business partnership between Washington State University Dining Services and Columbia Plateau Producers--producers of Shepherd’s Grain flour--more and more of the crop is being milled and consumed locally. Read more »